Automatic electric safety-gate.



R. EADES.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SAFETY GATE. APPLICATION mu) nov. 15. 1916.

131,358. Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I I 7 6-1: 0 2g 2a J/l O LL11; III. 1: Ja r J5 7 -Ll J7E- o o 26 6 I I 0 N 98 g I 4 l (38 I J76 51:

l l 6 I IR A 1 R. EADES.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SAFETY GATE.

APPLICATION LED NOV; 15. 1916.

1,241,358. PatentedSept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I ZEZU/Zfd) 1 fioeiqcr Ziad es Ul llllltllfi TATE PATENT RODGER EAIDES, OF WINCHESTER, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH T0 J. SMITH HAYS, OF WINCHESTER, KENTUCKY, AND ONE-FOURTH TO FLOYD H. MQCLUNG, 0F ASI-ILANID, KENTUCKY, AND HERBERT H. MOORE, OF WINCHESTER, KENTUCKY.

' AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SAFETY-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

Application filed November 15, 1916. Serial No. 131,492.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, Rooenn EADEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winchester, in the county of Clark and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Electric Safety Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to crossing gates for railroads and of that type which are automatically operated through electric means to close the gates during the passing of'a train in either direction, and to raise the gates after the train has passed. The pri mary object of the present improvements in automatically operating electrically controlled gates is to simplify the construction and arrangement of the parts of said gates and render them positive and reliable in their operation and also to provide means whereby the electric circuit which is closed to effect a lowering operation of the gates may be broken when a train is switching and during the time that the train is cut through at some point to open a crossing and whereby the gates are permitted to be raised automatically until the cut train is again connected for movement. The improved cr0ssing gate also includes an arm that is put in operation to extend across a sidewalk s1multaneously with themovement of the main street crossing or roadway guardingarm.

'The invention consists in theconstruction and arrangement of the several parts which will bemore fully hereinafter described and claimed. i

" In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially broken away and. in section of a railroad or crossing gate embodying the features of the invention and showing the arms and the operating mechanism in normal position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the casing inclosing the gate operating mechanism and showing the arms in lowered position and also illustrating the operating devices in the positions they will occupy when a train comes into the electric block including the gate operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in longitudinal ver tical section showing the gate operating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section illustrating a part of the gate operating mechanism and embodying a slight modification in structure.

Fig. 5 is a section through the gate shaft gear and spring clutch cooperating there with together with a part of the shaft.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the gate shaft gear particularly showing the shape of the spring clutch.

The numeral 5 designates a gate box or casing of suitable dimensions and disposed adJacent to a crossing. The gate box or casing 5 is divided into upper and lower compartments 6 and 7 by a horizontal partition 8, as clearly shown by Fig. 1, the upper compartment 6 containing the gate operating mechanism and the lower compart ment 7 a part of the electric appliances. l/Vithin the compartment 6 an electric motor 9 is mounted and has an extended armature shaft 10 running to and engaging the upper extremity of a suitable bearing upright 11. On the shaft 10 a governor is mounted and comprises a slide 12 to which angular governor arms 13 are pivoted, the said arms being provided with the usual weights l i. The arms 13 extend through a slotted disk or expansion limiting means 16 secured on the shaft 10 to rotate with the latter. The arms 13 terminate in push head 16" which engage a shifting disk 17 slidably mounted on the shaft 10 and also rotatable with the shaft, the said disk: 17 having a hollow spindle 18 projecting therefrom and extending to and connecting with a friction gear disk 19. The disk 17, spindle 18 and friction gear disk 19 are of spool-like structure, and the said spindle is longitudinally slotted, as at 20, to permit a key pin 21 secured to the shaft 10 to project therethrough, a spring 22 surrounding the spindle between the pin a 21' and the disk 17 and operating, when the material loosely mounted thereon and in position to be peripherally engaged by the friction gear disk 19, as shown by Fig. 2.

The one end of the shaft 23 projects outwardly beyond one side of the gate box or casing 5, and thereon a toothed segment25 is secured and has an extension or attaching plate 26 continuing therefrom, said plate 26 being bolted or otherwise secured to a main gate arm 27 at a point distant from the inner end of the said arm so as to allow said arm to balance, a weight 28 being secured on the said adjacent end of this arm as in the usual type'of gate arms employed. at railroad'and other crossings. On the same side of the gate box or casing from which the shaft 23 projects,-another segment 29 similar to the segment is mounted on a. stub shaft 30 and has an extension. or attaching plate 31 bolted or secured to a sidewalk arm 32 which is of materially less dimensions than the arm 27, but of a length sufficient to extend across and guard a sidewalk, the two arms 27 and 32 moving in opposite directions owing to the intermeshing segments 25 and 29. The end of the shaft 23 within the gate box is a spring clutch or bowed plate spring 23 having members 23 bearing against the disk 24.

' This spring clutch 23 is held in connection with the shaft 23 and adjustable through the medium of a screw .23 engaging the inner end of the said shaft and provided with a set nut 23 which prevents the screw from working loose by binding against the end of the shaft, as clearly shown byFig. 5. The disk 24: is adapted to bear against a collar 24: fixed to the shaft 23, the said disk being pressed by the spring clutch 23 against the collar 24 to cause said gate shaft 23 to rotate to lower the gates, but when the gates are lowered and the motor continues to operate, the disk 2 L will slip around on the shaft 23 and prevent breakage of the gates and driving mechanism.

Instead of using the friction gear disk 17 a bevel pinion 33 is connected to the tubular spindle 18 and the friction disk 2% on the shaft 23 is replaced with a bevel gear 34, as shown by Fig. 4, the pinion. 33 being moved with the spindle 13110 mesh with the bevel gear 34:. The remaining structural features shown by Fig. l are the same as those heretofore described and similar reference characters are applied thereto.

On one end of the gate box or casing 5 a signal bell 35 and a signal light 36 are mounted, the former being electrically connected to battery 37 by a wire 37 and to the rail 40 by a wire 40; the light 36 being connected by wires 36" and 36 to the motor 9. The wire 36 is intersected by an exteriorly operative switch 42. .Theswitch 39 is electrically connected to the track rails at one side, for instance the rails 40, and to the motor by wires 39 and 39". The battery 38;

is connectedv by wires 38 and 38 to therails 4:1 and motor 9. ,The electrical connections remain in lowered .cuit normally open in view of the connection of the wires tothe track rails as just explained, the locomotive bridging the rails I closing the circuit when first reaching the block which includes the bell 35 and the said bell in the daytime or the signal light 36 at night and the motor 9 are instantly operated and the gate arms 27 and 32 are lowered, the circuit being broken through the switch 39 when the components of a train are required to be switched and at which time .the train will be cut so as to give a passage-way therebetween in line with the roadway crossing the track rails. WVhen the components of the train are again connected for pro gressive movement the switch 39 is closed and the gate arms which have been temporarily elevated will be again lowered and osition until the train passes out of the b ock. The signal light 36 will be used at night, and during daylight the switch 42 will be open, orthe light circuit broken. It will be seen that the bat-' teries 37 and 38 are both connectedto the rail ll, the battery 37 by wire 37" and the battery 38- by wire 38*, and hence the, electrical circuit will be closed and the motor and signal devices actuated by the movement of cars over the rails lO and ll within the electrical block provided.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railroad crossing, gate of the class specified, the combination of an electric motor having an extended armature shaft, a governor mounted on the shaft and. having expanding arms with free ends, gear shifting means slidably mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, the gear shifting means being provided withv a. gear device a part thereofha-ving the free; ends. of the expanding governor arms-1n loose contact therewith, to push the gear shifting means,

a gate operating shaft carrying a gate arm and having a gear which is. engaged by the actuated gear shiftingmeans also mounted on the said shaft and having a disk at one end in engagement with the free ends of the governor arms and the opposite end provided: witha gear device, a: gate arm operating shaft having gate arms thereon and also provided. with a gear with which the said gear device has engagement at tervals, a source of electrical generation, and electrical block connections for a rail- 130 road track and providin circuits in which the motor and source of electrical generation are included.

3. In a railroad crossing gate of the class specified, the combination of a motor havone end loosely engaged by the free ends of the governor arms, the gear shifting member having a gear device, a gate operating shaft carrying a gate arm and having 1 a gearloosely mounted thereon with which said gear device is thrown into operative engagement, a spring clutch means engaging one face of the said loosely mounted gear for holding the said gear on the gate arm shaft in sufiiciently tlght engagement with the latter shaft to effect a lowering of the arm but permitting the said gear to run free when the arm is fully lowered or raised, and electrical block connections and a source of electrical generation for actuating the motor and gate arm.

4. In a railroad crossing gate of the class specified, the combination of a gate arm having a shaft with a gear loosely mounted thereon and provided with a recess in one face, the shaft at one end being continued as a screw terminal, a fixed collar on the shaft engaging the recess in one face of the gear, a spring clutch plate fitted over the screw terminal and having arms engaging the adjacent face of the gear, clamping and set devices engaging the screw terminal to hold the spring clutch in position, an electric motor having shifting means including a gear device to engage the loosely mounted gear on the gate arm shaft, and electrical connections for the motor for automatically operating the latter and the gate arm.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

. RODGER EADES.

Witnesses HERBERT H. MooRn, MARGT. CURRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. (2. 

